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Django Unchained
Django Unchained is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis Christopher, James Remar, and Don Johnson in supporting roles. Set in the Old West and AntebellumSouth, it is a highly stylized tribute to Spaghetti Westerns, in particular the 1966 Italian film Django by Sergio Corbucci, whose star Franco Nero has a cameo appearance. Development of Django Unchained began in 2007 when Tarantino was writing a book on Corbucci. By April 2011, Tarantino sent his final draft of the script to The Weinstein Company. Casting began in the summer of 2011, with Michael K. Williams and Will Smith being considered for the role of the title character before Foxx was cast. Principal photography took place from November 2011 to March 2012 in California, Wyoming and Louisiana. Django Unchained premiered at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on December 11, 2012, and was released on December 25, 2012, in the United States. The film was nominated for several film industry awards, including five Academy Awards. Waltz won several awards for his performance, among them Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Academy Awards. Tarantino won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA award for writing the film's original screenplay. The film grossed over $425 million worldwide in theaters against its $100 million budget, making it Tarantino's highest-grossing theatrical release. Plot In 1858 Texas, brothers Ace and Dicky Speck drive a group of shackled black slaves on foot. Among them is Django, sold off and separated from his wife Broomhilda von Shaft, a house slave. The brothers are stopped by Dr. King Schultz, a German dentist-turned-bounty hunter who asks to buy one of the slaves. He questions Django about his knowledge of the Brittle brothers, a trio of outlaws for whom Schultz is carrying a warrant. When the suspicious Ace levels his gun at him, Schultz kills him with a fast draw and then kills Dicky's horse, which falls and crushes Dicky's leg. Schultz insists on paying Dicky a fair price for Django before leaving Dicky to the newly freed slaves, who kill him and follow the North Star to freedom. As Django can identify the Brittle brothers, Schultz offers him his freedom in exchange for help tracking them down. They track the Brittles to the Tennessee plantation of Spencer "Big Daddy" Bennett and kill them. Bennett musters a large gang to raid their camp in the night; Schultz ambushes them with an explosive, killing most of them while Django kills Bennett. Feeling morally obliged to Django, Schultz agrees to help him find and rescue Broomhilda. Schultz trains Django as his apprentice, and the two become partners. Django soon collects his first bounty, keeping the handbill for good luck. In 1859, Django and Schultz travel to Mississippi where they learn the identity of Broomhilda's new owner: Calvin J. Candie, the charming but cruel owner of the Candyland plantation, where slaves are forced to fight to the death in brutal wrestling matches called "Mandingo fights". Schultz and Django meet Calvin at his gentleman's club in Greenville, and offer $12,000 for one of his best fighters; however, their ulterior motive is to purchase Broomhilda. Intrigued, Calvin invites them to Candyland. The group encounters Calvin's slave trackers en route: cornering one of Calvin's disfigured Mandingo fighters, D'Artagnan, who tried to escape to avoid fighting again. Angered, Calvin has several attack dogs devour D'Artagnan alive. After finding Broomhilda and telling her of their plan, Schultz offers to buy her while negotiating the initial deal during dinner. Calvin's staunchly loyal house slave, Stephen, becomes suspicious and accurately deduces their plan. He alerts Calvin, who alters the deal at gunpoint so that Broomhilda will be sold for $12,000 instead of the Mandingo fighter. Schultz agrees, and the papers for her freedom are drawn up and signed. Calvin smugly insists that the deal be sealed through a handshake, but Schultz, sick of Calvin's cruelty, instead shoots him through the heart with his concealed derringer, killing him. Schultz is killed by Calvin's bodyguard Butch with his sawed-off shotgun, who is then killed with his own revolver by Django. A shootout ensues, and Django kills many of Calvin's henchmen, where he then retreats after running out of ammo and Stephen forces him to surrender when Broomhilda is taken hostage. The next morning, Stephen tells Django that Calvin's sister Lara has taken charge, and that he will be sold to a mine and worked to death. En route, Django proves to his escorts that he is a bounty hunter by showing them his first handbill, tells them that the men on the handbill are back at Candyland, and promises them all but $500 of the reward money if they free him and help him kill the wanted men. The escorts release him and give him a revolver, which he immediately uses to kill them before stealing a horse and returning to Candyland with a bag of dynamite. Django kills Calvin's slave trackers, takes Broomhilda's freedom papers from Schultz's corpse, and frees his wife from a nearby cabin. When Calvin's mourners return from his burial, Django kills Lara and the remaining henchmen, releases the two remaining house slaves, and kneecaps Stephen before igniting the dynamite that he has planted throughout the mansion. Django and Broomhilda watch from a distance as the mansion explodes, killing Stephen, before riding off together. Cast , Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kerry Washington, in Paris at the film's French premiere, January 2013. ]] Main cast * Jamie Foxx as Django Freeman * Christoph Waltz as Dr. King Schultz * Leonardo DiCaprio as "Monsieur" Calvin J. Candie * Kerry Washington as Broomhilda "Hildi" von Shaft1 * Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen Supporting cast * Don Johnson as Spencer "Big Daddy" Bennett * Walton Goggins as Billy Crash * James Remar as Ace Speck and Butch Pooch * Dennis Christopher as Leonide "Leo" Moguy * James Russo as Dicky Speck * David Steen as Mr. Stonecipher * Tom Wopat as U.S. Marshal Gill Tatum * Dana Gourrier as Cora * Nichole Galicia as Sheba * Laura Cayouette as Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly * Ato Essandoh as D'Artagnan * Sammi Rotibi as Rodney * Clay Donahue as Fontenot * Escalante Lundy as Big Fred * Miriam F. Glover as Betina * Quentin Tarantino as Robert (Bag Head #1) and Frankie * Omar J. Dorsey as Chicken Charlie * Franco Nero as Amerigo Vessepi Other roles include Russ Tamblyn as Son of a Gunfighter and his daughter Amber Tamblyn as Daughter of a Son of a Gunfighter, Don Stroud as Sheriff Bill Sharp, Bruce Dern as Old Man Carrucan, M. C. Gainey as Big John Brittle, Cooper Huckabee as Lil Raj Brittle, Doc Duhame as Ellis Brittle, Jonah Hill as Bag Head #2, a member of a Ku Klux Klan-like group; Lee Horsley as Sheriff Gus (Snowy Snow), Rex Linn as Tennessee Harry, Misty Upham as Minnie, Danièle Watts as Coco and Clay Donahue Fontenot as Luigi. Zoë Bell, Michael Bowen, Robert Carradine, Jake Garber, Ted Neeley, James Parks, and Tom Savini play Candyland trackers, while Michael Parks and John Jarratt, alongside Tarantino himself in a cameo appearance as Frankie, play the LeQuint Dickey Mining Company employees. Production Development In 2007, Tarantino discussed an idea for a type of Spaghetti Western set in the United States' pre-Civil War Deep South. He called this type of film "a Southern", stating that he wanted: Tarantino later explained the genesis of the idea: Tarantino finished the script on April 26, 2011, and handed in the final draft to The Weinstein Company.6 In October 2012, frequent Tarantino collaborator RZA said that he and Tarantino had intended to cross over Django Unchained with RZA's Tarantino-presented martial-arts film The Man with the Iron Fists. The crossover would have seen a younger version of the blacksmith character from RZA's film appear as a slave in an auction. However, scheduling conflicts prevented RZA's participation.7 One inspiration for the film is Corbucci's 1966 Spaghetti Western Django, whose star Franco Nero has a cameo appearance in Django Unchained.8 Another inspiration is the 1975 film Mandingo, about a slave trained to fight other slaves.9 Tarantino included scenes in the snow as a homage to The Great Silence.10 "Silenzio takes place in the snow. I liked the action in the snow so much, Django Unchained has a big snow section in the middle," Tarantino said in an interview.10 The title Django Unchained alludes to the titles of the 1966 Corbucci film Django; Hercules Unchained, the American title for the 1959 Italian epic fantasy film Ercole e la regina di Lidia, about the mythical hero's escape from enslavement to a wicked master; and to Angel Unchained, the 1970 American biker film about a biker exacting revenge on a large group of rednecks.1112 Casting Among those considered for the title role of Django, Michael K. Williams and Will Smithwere mentioned as possibilities, but in the end Jamie Foxx was cast in the role.1314Smith later said he turned down the role because it "wasn't the lead".15 Tyrese Gibsonsent in an audition tape as the character.16 Franco Nero, the original Django from the 1966 Italian film, was rumored for the role of Calvin Candie,17 but instead was given a cameo appearance as a minor character. Nero suggested that he play a mysterious horseman who haunts Django in visions and is revealed in an ending flashback to be Django's father; Tarantino opted not to use the idea.18 Kevin Costner was in negotiations to join as Ace Woody,19 a Mandingo trainer and Candie's right-hand man, but Costner dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.20 Kurt Russell was cast instead21but also later left the role.22 When Kurt Russell dropped out, the role of Ace Woody was not recast; instead, the character was merged with Walton Goggins's character, Billy Crash.23 Jonah Hill was offered the role of Scotty Harmony, a gambler who loses Broomhilda to Candie in a poker game,24 but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with The Watch.2526 Sacha Baron Cohen was also offered the role, but declined in order to appear in Les Misérables. Neither Scotty nor the poker game appear in the final cut of the film.24 Hill later appeared in the film in a different role.27 Joseph Gordon-Levitt said that he "would have loved, loved to have" been in the film but would be unable to appear because of a prior commitment to direct his first film, Don Jon.28 Costume design In a January 2013 interview with Vanity Fair, costume designer Sharen Davis said much of the film's wardrobe was inspired by spaghetti westerns and other works of art. For Django's wardrobe, Davis and Tarantino watched the television series Bonanza and referred to it frequently. The pair even hired the hatmaker who designed the hat worn by the Bonanzacharacter Little Joe, played by Michael Landon. Davis described Django's look as a "rock-n-roll take on the character". Django's sunglasses were inspired by Charles Bronson's character in The White Buffalo (1977). Davis used Thomas Gainsborough's 1770 oil painting The Blue Boyas a reference for Django's valet outfit.29 In the final scene, Broomhilda wears a dress similar to that of Ida Galli's character in Blood for a Silver Dollar (1965). Davis said the idea of Calvin Candie's costume came partly from Rhett Butler, and that Don Johnson's signature Miami Vice look inspired Big Daddy's cream-colored linen suit in the film. King Schultz's faux chinchilla coat was inspired by Telly Savalas in Kojak. Davis also revealed that many of her costume ideas did not make the final cut of the film, leaving some unexplained characters such as Zoë Bell's tracker, who was intended to drop her bandana to reveal an absent jaw.29 Filming Principal photography for Django Unchainedstarted in California in November 201130continuing in Wyoming in February 201231 and at the National Historic Landmark Evergreen Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana, outside of New Orleans, in March 2012.32 The film was shot in the anamorphic format on 35 mm film.33Although originally scripted, a sub-plot centering on Zoë Bell's masked tracker was cut, and remained unfilmed, due to time constraints.34 After 130 shooting days, the film wrapped up principal photography in July 2012.35 Django Unchained was the first Tarantino film not edited by Sally Menke, who died in 2010. Editing duties were instead handled by Fred Raskin, who had worked as an assistant editor on Tarantino's Kill Bill.36 Raskin was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Editing but lost to William Goldenberg for his work on Argo. Music Main article: Django Unchained (soundtrack) The film features both original and existing music tracks. Tracks composed specifically for the film include "100 Black Coffins" by Rick Ross and produced by and featuring Jamie Foxx, "Who Did That To You?" by John Legend, "Ancora Qui" by Ennio Morricone and Elisa, and "Freedom" by Anthony Hamilton and Elayna Boynton.37 The theme, "Django", was also the theme song of the 1966 film.38 Musician Frank Ocean wrote an original song for the film's soundtrack, but it was rejected by Tarantino, who explained that "Ocean wrote a fantastic ballad that was truly lovely and poetic in every way, there just wasn't a scene for it."39 Frank Ocean later published the song, entitled "Wiseman", on his Tumblr blog. The film also features a few famous pieces of western classical music, including Beethoven's "Für Elise" and "Dies Irae" from Verdi's Requiem. Tarantino has stated that he avoids using full scores of original music: "I just don't like the idea of giving that much power to anybody on one of my movies."4041 The film's soundtrack album was released on December 18, 2012.37Ennio Morricone made statements criticizing Tarantino's use of his music in Django Unchained and stated that he would "never work" with the director after this film,42 but later agreed to compose an original film score for Tarantino's The Hateful Eight in 2015. In a scholarly essay on the film's music, Hollis Robbins notes that the vast majority of film music borrowings come from films made between 1966 and 1974 and argues that the political and musical resonances of these allusions situate Django Unchained squarely in the Vietnam and Watergate era, during the rise and decline of Black Power cinema.43 Jim Croce's hit "I Got a Name" was featured in the soundtrack. Release The first teaser poster was inspired by a fan-art poster by Italian artist Federico Mancosu. His artwork was published in May 2011, a few days after the synopsis and the official title were released to the public. In August 2011, at Tarantino's request, the production companies bought the concept artwork from Mancosu to use for promotional purposes as well as on the crew passes and clothing for staff during filming.44 Django Unchained was released on December 25, 2012, in the United States by The Weinstein Company and released on January 18, 2013, by Sony Pictures Releasing in the United Kingdom.4546 The film was screened for the first time at the Directors Guild of America on December 1, 2012, with additional screening events having been held for critics leading up to the film's wide release.47 The premiere of Django Unchained was delayed by one week following the shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012.48 The film was released on March 22, 2013, by Sony Pictures in India.49 In March 2013, Django Unchained was announced to be the first Tarantino film approved for official distribution in China's strictly controlled film market.50 Lily Kuo, writing for Quartz, wrote that "the film depicts one of America's darker periods, when slavery was legal, which Chinese officials like to use to push back against criticism from the United States".51 The film was released in China on May 12, 2013.52 Box office After a total of 143 days, the film ended its American theatrical run on May 16, 2013 with a gross of $162,805,434 in North America.53 It grossed $262,562,804 in foreign countries including $51,597,323 of Germany, $37,297,979 of France, and $24,893,462 of the United Kingdom, making a worldwide total gross of $425,368,238.3 As of 2013, Django Unchainedbecame Tarantino's highest-grossing film, surpassing his 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, which grossed $321.4 million worldwide.54 Home media The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Download on April 16, 2013.55 In the United States, the film has grossed $31,939,733 from DVD sales and $30,286,838 from Blu-ray sales, making a total of $62,226,571.56 References # ^ a''' '''b c''' '''d e''' # '''^ # ^ a''' '''b c''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^ a''' '''b # ^ a''' '''b # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # ^ '''a b''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # ^ '''a b''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^ a''' '''b # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ “Django Unchained: Repurposing Western Film Music.” Safundi: the Journal of South African and American Studies 16:3 (August 2015): 280-290. # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ Phillips, Dana. "Introduction: Django Unchained and the Global Western". Safundi16.3 (2015): 253–255. # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # ^ '''a b''' '''c # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' Frank, Thomas (March 2013) "Blood Sport." Harper's Magazine; page 6-7. # '''^ # ^''' # ^ '''a b''' # ^ '''a b''' # '''^ # ^''' Daniel Bernardi, The Persistence of Whiteness: Race and Contemporary ...- 2013 "For the purposes of breeding chattel, he must also buy a "Mandingo" buck, a male slave. In the film, a "Mandingo" represents the finest stock of slaves deemed most suitable for fighting and breeding."needed # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' # '''^ # ^''' DC Comics: Django Unchained at the Comic Book DB # '''^ "Dynamite® Django / Zorro #1". Retrieved January 18, 2015. Category:Columbia Pictures films Category:Sony Pictures Entertainment Films